Grudge Match: PS3 v 360 Roleplaying Games

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Has Microsoft unseated Sony as king of the RPG?

By Hilary Goldstein, Ryan Clements

The Grudge Match is a long running series on IGN and over the years the most heated response has come from the old battle between Microsoft and Sony. While Nintendo reaps the rewards of mass market appeal, these two juggernauts are firmly entrenched in the battle for the hearts and minds of hardcore gamers. That's why we've kicked of a series of Grudge Matches that pit the two consoles against each other in every aspect of gaming.

In the first installment, IGN Xbox 360 Editor-in-Chief Hilary Goldstein and PlayStation Editor-in-Chief Chris Roper examined each console's top first-person shooters, Killzone 2 and Halo 3. This week, we're taking a look at each console's library of role-playing games to decide which system reigns supreme. Hilary is back representing the Xbox 360, and PlayStation Associate Editor Ryan Clements is arguing on behalf of the PS3.

As always, IGN Insiders can watch the video version of our Grudge Match first. Just click the image to see Hilary and Ryan say mean things to one another.

Hilary Goldstein: This isn't so much a Grudge Match as it is kicking sand in Sony's face. In the last generation, Sony had just about every RPG imaginable. They dominated the Japanese RPG market. And the Xbox? Well, it had a few Western RPGs of note (Jade Empire, Fable), but there was a considerable dearth of titles. My how the tables have turned. Microsoft has the king's bounty of RPGs, both Western and Japanese, and has managed to convince Square Enix to put Final Fantasy XIII out on Xbox 360 the same day it releases the hotly anticipated RPG on PS3.

The PS3 has one great RPG, Valkyria Chronicles. It's the only RPG that can make Xbox 360 owners at all jealous. The rest of the PS3's weak role-playing library is inferior to a number of Xbox 360 RPGs. I'll take Lost Odyssey, Fallout 3 DLC and Fable II over any role-playing game currently available on PS3.

The top game in this genre is, without question, Mass Effect. Released in 2007, Mass Effect is BioWare's best game to date. You play as Commander Shepard, a man on a mission to save the galaxy. That's not exactly new territory for an RPG story, but everything else about Mass Effect is extraordinary. The dialogue system drops the archaic "choose from a list" symptom and allows you to instead choose the intent of your response even as another character is speaking. And, most importantly, Shepard's dialogue is fully voiced – for both male and female versions – something that is largely unheard of in most RPGs.

Mass Effect's tough choices and epic storyline set it apart from other RPGs.

The choices you make in Mass Effect determine the fate of alien races, your team members and your sex life. And those choices matter not only for Mass Effect 1, but for its two upcoming sequels. BioWare has created the first ever trilogy that takes into account your decisions from the first moment until the very last battle in Mass Effect 3. There's nothing else like that on any system, certainly not on PlayStation 3.

Let's face it, no RPG lover who owns a 360 has much reason to look longingly at the PS3. At least not yet. On the other hand, PS3 owners have a great number of reasons to think, "Maybe I should sell the watch my father kept hidden up his ass during the Vietnam war" so they can buy an Xbox 360. At least, that's how I was able to afford mine.

Ryan Clements: No matter how bitter Hil's text is or how witty his Pulp Fiction references are, there's no escaping the fact that our resident Xbox Editor-in-Chief is right: the 360 has the PS3 in a serious headlock. Sony was the king of RPGs in the last generation of consoles and I would have never thought that such an amazing lead could be switched up. But with the 360 having games like Mass Effect, Fable II and Lost Odyssey, the PS3 RPG library is in some serious trouble. But that doesn't mean that the battle is entirely hopeless. The 360's current RPG library wins the round, that much is true, but I'd be very interested to see how things look in the future.

Even though Microsoft has nabbed some pretty sweet deals (including the aforementioned Final Fantasy XIII megaton), Sony has always been the publisher most willing to try experimental, eccentric games. At the end of the PlayStation 2's life, we saw one of the most brilliant action RPGs in the form of Odin Sphere. As the PlayStation 3 library continues to grow, I can guarantee you that you'll see some incredible, exclusive gems down the line. But if you're living in the here and now, the PS3 isn't entirely without solid RPGs.

As Hil mentioned, Valkyria Chronicles is a truly fantastic game. If you like strategy RPGs -- even a little bit -- I highly recommend this one. The game combines an incredibly rich presentation with an emotional story about a young group of soldiers fighting for a struggling, independent nation. The plot alone is worth the investment, but the gameplay is just as rewarding. Mixing elements of top-down strategy games with third-person shooters, Valkyria Chronicles offers players a really innovative battle system that makes every level a real joy to play.

And although I was personally not a fan, Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice is a game that you can only find on the PS3. And if you're dedicated, you could potentially sink hundreds of hours into that game and still not see the end. Then, of course, there's the infamous Folklore, which received some controversial reviews from both ends of the spectrum. I really enjoyed the game's chilling story and "collect-the-creatures" gameplay, so I still recommend it.

With that said, the PlayStation 3 also has White Knight Chronicles on the way, from the capable developers at Level-5. If that's not enough, we have Final Fantasy Versus XIII as an exclusive still, as well as Final Fantasy XIV. So the PS3 has a few aces up its sleeve that could help level the playing field... eventually.

But no matter what anyone says, Eternal Sonata was better on the PS3. Trust me. You need to buy that game right now.

So it seems Microsoft is the winner of this round in our ongoing PlayStation 3 vs. Xbox 360 Grudge Match series. So what would you like to see our editors battle over next? The platforms share many similarities, but they have stark differences as well. Let us know in the comments section. And make sure to vote in our poll at the top of the page.